To the Editor:
Last November’s elections are not so distant that we have all forgotten the issues raised by the many candidates for local office. We heard a lot about transportation and education. The candidates competed to portray themselves as the most representative of this area, with voters’ concerns closest to their hearts. We sent the elected officials off to carry our concerns to Richmond, the Board of Supervisors, and the School Board, there to be our strong advocates. Have they been doing as they promised? It appears that some are and some definitely are not. Unfortunately, Del. Barbara Comstock falls into the latter category.
To show what’s happening at the local level, the most recent Connection carried a report from Sharon Bulova, recently re-elected Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, discussing the Board’s priorities. As promised during the election cycle, the Board is focusing its attention on transportation, fiscal management, and education. But contrast this good news to what is coming out of Richmond. Rather than focusing on voters’ concerns, our state legislators have produced bills on personhood, defunding abortions, requiring invasive and unnecessary exams for women seeking abortions, loosening restrictions on gun ownership, and advocating for prayer in public schools. Transportation bills have focused on taking away local control or restricting the types of contracts municipalities can use in seeking bids. Del. Comstock voted for all these measures. With her help, Virginia is becoming the tag line of a national joke. Is this what you voted for? Is this the direction we want to go? Is this what we sent Barbara Comstock to Richmond for? I think I am not alone in responding with a resounding "No!" Election time is not the only time to hold our representatives accountable for their actions. Del. Comstock is heading in the wrong direction. Please join me in urging her to respect the promises she made to her constituents during the campaign.
Cheryl Lindstrom
McLean